INBDE practice questions, INBDE practice test and dental board prep for the current exam

The INBDE is administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, part of the ADA, and it replaced the two-part NBDE sequence. It runs across two days at a Prometric center. Day 1 has four sections: three sections of 100 standalone items at 105 minutes each, then a 60-item case section, also 105 minutes, for 8 hours 15 minutes total including optional breaks. Day 2 has two case-based sections of 70 items each, again 105 minutes apiece, for 4 hours 15 minutes. That is 500 items and 12 hours 30 minutes of scheduled time. The two days do not have to be consecutive, but they must fall within a 7-day period at the same test center, or you retest at your own expense.

• Day 1: 360 items across four sections, 8 hours 15 minutes
• Day 2: 140 case-based items across two sections, 4 hours 15 minutes
• 500 items total, 12 hours 30 minutes of scheduled time
• Both days must occur within 7 days at the same test center

The INBDE is built on the Domain of Dentistry, which contains 56 Clinical Content areas and 10 Foundation Knowledge areas. Clinical Content areas describe the tasks an entry-level general dentist performs, such as interpreting diagnostic results or evaluating a patient's condition. Foundation Knowledge areas describe the underlying science and reasoning needed to do those tasks. Every item ties the two together, which is what the word integrated in the exam title means: you are not asked to recall a fact from biochemistry in isolation, you are asked what that biochemistry implies for a specific patient in front of you. JCNDE publishes the exact percentage of items allocated to each section and Foundation Knowledge area in its test specifications.

• 56 Clinical Content areas and 10 Foundation Knowledge areas
• Every item integrates foundation science with a clinical task
• Items are multiple choice with three to five response options
• Only one option is the correct or best answer, no partial credit

The INBDE is criterion-referenced, meaning you are measured against a fixed standard rather than against other candidates, so there is no curve and no quota. A scale score of 75 is the minimum passing score. Scale scores are not raw scores, so 75 does not mean 75% correct: JCNDE converts raw performance onto a common scale so that a 75 means the same competency regardless of which form you drew. Results are reported only as pass or fail, and candidates who pass simply see "pass" with no number. Unsuccessful candidates receive remediation feedback at an overall level, for the three clinical content sections, and for each of the ten Foundation Knowledge areas. JCNDE targets releasing results within four weeks, and in most cases they arrive within three.

• Criterion-referenced: no curve, no quota
• Minimum passing scale score of 75, which is not 75% correct
• Reported as pass or fail; passers receive no number
• Results usually within three weeks, targeted within four

Graduates of CODA-accredited US dental programs pass at a very high rate. Per JCNDE annual reporting, first-attempt failure rates for CODA candidates have stayed under 5%, rising slightly to 4.8% in 2024 after a new performance standard raised the exam's rigor, which puts the first-time pass rate around 95%. Candidates from non-accredited programs, mostly internationally trained dentists, face a much harder path: their first-time failure rates ran from 33.1% in 2021 to 25.3% in 2024, so roughly a quarter to a third do not pass on the first try. If you trained outside a CODA program, plan for a longer preparation window and far more case-based question practice than a US graduate needs.

The INBDE examination fee is $890, which covers results reporting to you, three licensing jurisdictions selected at application, and your CODA-accredited dental program. Candidates from non-CODA programs pay an additional $435 processing fee. JCNDE also offers a bundle of the INBDE and the DLOSCE for $1,080, a $470 saving over buying both separately. All fees are non-refundable. On retakes, you must wait a minimum of 60 days between unsuccessful attempts, and the Five Years / Five Attempts Eligibility Rule requires you to pass within five years of your first attempt or within five attempts, whichever comes first. Candidates who have already passed may not retake the exam unless a dental board requires it.

• Examination fee $890; non-CODA candidates add $435
• INBDE plus DLOSCE bundle: $1,080, saving $470
• Minimum 60-day wait between unsuccessful attempts
• Five Years / Five Attempts rule, whichever comes first